In 1966, the Barrington area was fracturing into separate villages, each developing competing visions for regional planning and intercommunity relations. Local developers frequently leveraged this lack of cohesion, playing municipalities against one another to advance uncoordinated projects. Recognizing the divisive nature of this landscape, community leaders established the Barrington Area Development Council (BADC) to serve as a unified platform for sustainable community development and to safeguard the unique character of the region.

To establish a comprehensive regional blueprint, BADC retained a Chicago-based urban consulting firm. A primary recommendation of the resulting master strategy was the formation of a regional municipal coalition, which ultimately became the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG).

Designed as a collective assembly, this "Council of Governments" was structured to comprise elected officials and designated representatives from all area villages, townships, and special districts. Its core functional mandate included maintaining a continuous land-use information system, fostering intergovernmental cooperation, formulating shared civic goals, and executing comprehensive regional planning.

On April 25, 1970, the initiative officially came to fruition when representatives from the Village of Barrington, Barrington Hills, North Barrington, South Barrington, Tower Lakes, and Deer Park convened for the inaugural BACOG meeting, establishing a unified commitment to preserving open space and managing low-density, sustainable growth. Lake Barrington joined as the seventh member community in 1987, and the Village of Inverness also maintained membership for a number of years.

For a more comprehensive institutional history and a list of current member municipalities, please visit the Barrington Area Library’s local history resource center or the official BACOG website.